Raw gold, or rough gold, is a valuable, naturally occurring metal. Before it is processed, it contains impurities such as copper or silver, which are removed to make gold jewelry. You may have handled fool’s gold or shiny stones that were golden in color and mistaken them for gold. Such items are quite different in value and appearance from real, raw gold. It is easier to identify raw gold when referring to an image of fine gold or gold nuggets.

Tap the specimen with a hammer. Gold is a soft, malleable metal that can bend easily, unlike other minerals that snap when hammered. Strike the gold firmly to check whether or not you can dent it without it breaking.Place the substance in nitric acid. Nitric acid does not dissolve or tarnish raw gold. Fool’s gold, however, also is not affected by nitric acid, but other identification methods will help you determine whether or not the specimen is fool’s gold.

<p style=”font-size: 18px; text-align: justify; line-height: 1.7;”><strong>Feel the specimen’s texture. Raw gold has a smooth surface, and fool’s gold is jagged because of its crystal structure. The surface of raw gold may have lumps and bump but is clearly metallic in texture.</strong></p>